Finding Coupons

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Finding coupons is a lot easier than some make it out to be. "Well duh they're only in the Sunday paper, right?" WRONG!!

• Sunday Paper: Yes, they are in the newspapers, it's the most common place to find them. There are even sites such as thecouponclippers.com that have trackers that will tell you how many inserts will be in that weeks paper along with a general idea as to what coupons will be in that paper. Although, when you use the tracker and see what coupons will be in the paper be mindful of the savings amounts, they vary by region. For example: One part of the country might get a coupon for 0.55 off 1 item, whereas another part of the country will get a coupon for the same item but it's 1.00 off 2.
• Coupons.com and the like: There are three main websites on the net where you can find a plethora of coupons. Coupons.com is the most popular. These coupons are changed at the beginning of each month and are valid for 30 days after you print them. You can print each coupon available twice in the calendar month by hitting your browsers back button after they have all printed once, or by coming back at a later time. They have everything from food, personal care items, drug coupons, clothes, etc. The coupon values here don't usually vary regionally so everyone gets the same thing. Along with coupons.com, there is also smartsource.com and redplum.com. These sites also have pages of coupons that can be printed twice and that change once a month. All of these sites install a small Java application on your computer that you never notice, so that it can communicate with your printer....don't worry it's harmless.
  
• Manufacturer's Websites: Have a favorite snack or brand of pasta? Check out their product website online. A lot of times you can find a "Special Offers" page somewhere on their website (sometimes around the Contact page) where they will have coupons or a mailing list you can sign up for that will contact you when new deals are coming up. If you don't see a page like this, use the Contact page, email them and ask if there is a mailing list you can sign up for. Sometimes companies don't fully advertise them and it never hurts to ask.
• Free Samples: You see those posts I make about a free sample here and there? "Well those things are just gonna clutter up my house". Well yea, if you don't use them they well. My point is, not only is it a good way to try a product, but they usually send a coupon or two with the sample so that you will, hopefully, go out and buy the product if you liked the trial. A lot of the time these coupons have expiration dates far, far into the future, like months or a year into the future, so it will give you plenty of time to find a sale and use them.
  
• Google: I have a few readers that have found me through Google, yes? If you search in Google (or your preferred search engine - like I prefer Swagbucks) for say "Oreo internet printable" you will come up with hundreds upon thousands of websites that will provide links to coupons for Oreos. Now google searching will force you to do some digging, as some sites won't be what you want, or the coupon will be outdated, but in the end you still might find what you were looking for. And, if you happened to have stumbled across my blog while you were searching for a discount of some sort, you will also already know that you could find something else in the process that catches your eye, that you really like. :)
• Tearpads/Blinking machines: Look in your grocery store/Walmart/Target/etc. When you are shopping sometimes you will see little packs of coupons near an item, these are called tearpads (since ya know, you tear a coupon off the pad....yeah) and the little red machines are usually called blinking machines (since they have a red light....that blinks....). Manufacturer's will have stores put these near their items in hopes that consumers will see them and decide to pick up their product instead of their competitors. There is no law saying you only have to take one of those coupons, but be fair, don't take more than you will use/need. Also beware of expiration dates on these, as they might expire faster than traditional coupons. But, these also have a tendency to be of higher value than traditional coupons, which makes them completely worth searching the store for.

I warn, as always, make sure your store accepts coupons printed from the internet before you try to use them. Many stores do, but there are some that either don't accept them at all, or that limit how many you can use in one transaction. Knowing the store policies will save a lot of time and headache when you get to the checkout line.